By Ijeoma Agbafo
Former Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, has admitted that Israel smuggled Starlink internet receivers into Iran to support anti-government protesters.
Bennett made the disclosure on Tuesday at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem, saying he personally initiated the process of acquiring and smuggling the devices into Iran during his tenure between 2021 and 2022.
He said tens of thousands of Starlink receivers were moved into Iran to help maintain internet connectivity and access to social media during periods of unrest.
According to him, the aim was to ensure protesters could communicate and coordinate activities, adding that the infrastructure was intended to strengthen opposition movements against the Iranian government.
He criticised the administration of Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it failed to continue the initiative, which he claimed weakened its impact during later protests.
Starlink, operated by SpaceX, is a satellite internet service that is not licensed to operate in Iran, although Tehran has previously accused Israel and the United States of smuggling communication devices to undermine its security.
